The Professionals #11: Spy Probe
by Ken Blake (Sphere, 1981)
Kenneth Bulmer returns to the house pseudonym and churns out a two-story tie-in novelisation as lopsided as its predecessor (by Robert Holdstock). Very shoddy prose and the second episode is barely an afterthought, though the first is a diverting enough, action-packed instalment.
L.A.’s Finest, Season 1
(Spectrum, 2019)
Disregarding its Bad Boys connection (thence presumably the negative reviews), L.A.’s Finest ticks all the right boxes as a buddy cop action/drama series. The characters gel, the actors commit. (Some casting surprises, but in a good way.) The humour works. Good stuff.
The Professionals #10: Cry Wolf
by Ken Blake (Sphere, 1981)
Robert Holdstock’s first shot at writing under the Ken Blake pseudonym. Holdstock’s prose is a step down from Kenneth Bulmer’s, and his episode balance is lopsided, over-novelising the first story while letting the second crash and burn in a wretchedly perfunctory ending.
The Professionals #9: No Stone
by Ken Blake (Sphere, 1981)
Another two episodes novelised by Kenneth Bulmer under the publisher’s house pseudonym. The book has the feel of having been dashed off, and relies heavily on readers being familiar with the characters and format. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose. Simple, action-packed nostalgia.
The Professionals #8: Dead Reckoning
by Ken Blake (Sphere, 1980)
Another workmanlike effort by Kenneth Bulmer (writing as Ken Blake). As previously, his novelisation follows three separate stories and successfully evokes the on-screen action. As a distinct work, however, this would have benefited from a less slavish shot-by-shot adherence to the scripts.
The Professionals #7: Hiding to Nothing
by Kenneth Bulmer [as Ken Blake] (Sphere, 1980)
This tie-in novel features three of the better Professionals episodes but becomes increasingly confused in the telling. In the second story, Bulmer makes no effort to distinguish between a plethora of non-regular characters. In the third, he muddles up Bodie and Doyle!
The Professionals #5: Blind Run
by Ken Blake (Sphere, 1979)
Although not one of the best Professionals novelisations — a verdict that rests as much on the quality of the three episodes depicted as upon the writing — Blind Run nevertheless captures much of the on-screen action and the charisma of its three leads.